ABOUT CONGO

About The DRC

As the second-largest country on the African continent, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is emerging as a stable and promising leader in Africa, with improved security, a growing economy, and a commitment to democratic governance. Since the signing of a peace accord in 2002 that ended years of civil conflict, the Congolese people have taken critical steps in forming a unified military, establishing new foundations for economic progress, and pursuing democratic aspirations guided by the 2005 Constitution.

Rich in both human and natural resources, the DRC has established policies that are generating strong economic growth as well as interest and engagement by international investors. Its entrepreneurial workforce has demonstrated both resilience and determination, giving the DRC one of the world’s highest economic growth rates in 2014. To support this progress and future potential, the nation’s infrastructure is being rebuilt at an unprecedented rate, with new roads, schools, and hospitals under construction—both promoting employment and stimulating further commercial activity.

The DRC is known for its vast resources and diverse wildlife, including a large portion of the second largest tropical forest in the world, the Congo Basin. The country is home to 1,000 bird species, more than 400 fish species, 10,000 species of plants, and three of the world’s four great apes. Breathtaking protected habitats are located in the DRC, including Garamba National Park and Virunga National Park—the world’s oldest nature preserve of its kind. The DRC also possesses nearly 80 million hectares of arable land and more than 1,100 minerals and precious metals.

In the late 19th century, King Leopold II of Belgium established a personally-held colony in the Congo basin region of Central Africa. In 1885, this territory was formally recognized as the Congo Free State. King Leopold relinquished control of the territory to the Belgian government in 1908, upon which it became known as Belgian Congo.

Indigenous protests in the 1950s led to independence from Belgium in 1960, with the following years fraught with political and social instability. In 1965, the commander in chief of the national army, Lieutenant General Joseph Mobutu, seized control of the country and declared himself president. He later changed the country’s name to Zaire and went on to lead it for 32 years.

The Constitution

Over the last decade, the DRC Government has worked to build a new Congo with an inclusive, transparent and democratic government that can provide a better future for all citizens. Having emerged from conflict under the leadership of President Joseph Kabila, the Congolese people have taken critical steps in pursuing democratic aspirations guided by the DRC’s Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and religion. To read the Constitution, simply click on the PDF below.